Page 188 of Shadow City: Silver Wolf

If he said no, he’d be discredited completely. His reputation was already partially ruined.

“Yes, a new vote shall be taken.” Azbogah nodded.

“What?” Dick’s shoulders slumped as if he’d been deflated. “But—”

“Who is in agreement that Dick should be removed from the council, effective immediately, and replaced by the silver wolf standing before us as decreed by the divine?”

One by one, each council member said “aye” until only Griffin remained.

My mate locked eyes with the man who had once been like a father to him, and magic pulled inside him as he called his alpha will. He bellowed, “You are no longer part of this council nor part of Sterlyn’s and my pack. You have until tomorrow to get your affairs in order and leave.”

Despite Dick being part of Griffin’s pack, it was clear that he didn’t respect my mate as alpha. He hadn’t challenged him…yet.I was so proud of my mate for making the douchebag submit to him before he could cause any additional problems.

Dick bared his teeth as he averted his gaze and vowed, “You haven’t seen the last of me,” before stomping out the door.

“So what does that mean for us?” Saga asked from the back, not even bothering to follow her husband. “Does that go for me and Luna, too?”

“Yes.” Griffin spoke low but clearly, and he didn’t bother to turn around. “Your daughter tried to kill my mate. You all must leave, too.”

“Fine,” she whimpered, and the door slammed behind her, leaving the gawking council’s attention on the two of us.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

The silencein the room almost overwhelmed me. I hated being the center of attention, but in this unfortunate situation, that was exactly what we had to be. It was important for the others to know we had the guts to lead, to prove that we were serious and would take down any adversary.

We needed to portray confidence and solidarity.

Griffin took my hand as we stared down the council together, practically daring them to challenge us.

I will die to protect you,he linked with me before adding Killian to our bond.Kill, Sterlyn just informed the council who she is.

Of course, she did,Killian deadpanned.I thought we were keeping that shit secret.

Secrets never stay buried, I told him.The truth could take centuries to come out, but eventually, it always caught back up to people. This was something I’d come to learn ever since Dad passed.And by hiding, we were giving our enemies exactly what they wanted. Leverage. Control. The only two things that could make Dick hard.Obviously, his mate didn’t give a shit about him. She would’ve happily stayed here while Dick roamed the world outside.

I’d been so stupid. I should’ve shouted my heritage from the rooftops instead of keeping the secret guarded.

Killian burst into laughter through our bond.Damn, I’m so glad I can link to you two. Sterlyn has a way of making me smile that no one else can.

Everyone but Rosemary. I’d seen the way they looked at each other, but both of them were too damn stubborn to admit their feelings.

Watch it.Griffin growled, teasing, but it fell flat because of the severity of the situation.

Whatever, man.Killian sighed exasperatedly.She’s my sister. Let me know if you need me. You coming back today?

No, it’ll be tomorrow.We had to stay here and make sure that Dick actually left. If we left the city ourselves, it could make us look weak, even though that wasn’t the case.

“That was unexpected.” Alex chuckled, bringing me back to the present. He sat back in his seat as he steepled his fingers and looked at me. “And silver wolves are still alive. Who would’ve ever guessed that?”

A murkiness swirled inside the vampire prince. He considered me as if he were at a crossroads where he could go evil or good. Most of the council members had corruption rolling off them—all except for Rosemary’s parents, Ezra, and Alex. Each member was out to get something for their race or perhaps even for their own personal gain.

“Definitely not me.” Erin’s nose wrinkled with disgust. “We’ve done just fine without them. There’s no need for them to return now.”

“I have to agree.” Azbogah sneered. “But at least her coming here has helped accomplish something. I can finally finish what we started all those years ago. My judgment still stands that the silver wolves should die.”

“Not so fast.” Yelahiah moved partially in front of me with a wide stance. “When you came to Earth, you forfeited being the judge, which means that your opinions don’t carry weight anymore.”

There was so much tension and hatred brewing between the two of them. Even if I hadn’t known the history, it was clear that something had happened in the past.

---